"WHY A CHURCH?"

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21420, 12 March 1935, Page 8

"WHY A CHURCH?"

A FORCE FOR UNITY ADDRESS BY REV. H. W. NEWELL "Why a Church at All?" was the subject of an address given by the Rev. H. "W. Newell at last evening's session of the Assembly of the Congregational Union. The evident and obvious need oJ mankind was unity, said Mr Neweil, and this was what the church stood for. Yet although unity was necessary in the economic and national spheres, until now all attempts to secure unity had broken down: in the last few days the feeling which had dominated the world before 1914 had returned, and the "old terror" was crippling men's hearts.

Nevertheless, there was a scientific unity which caused people lo share alike. Furthermore, especially amen* British peoples, there was a strong passion for pacifism, and never before had so many people believed that war would never settle quarrels, and must be left out of international differences. Yet all these things were breaking down before men's eyes. The Christian Church, which could aenieve a marvellous spirit of unity, should riot approach the problem along these lines, for they could only be described as opportunist. The Power of the Church The church was a force for usefulness and happiness, and was necessary to humanity if a breakdown was to be avoided. Many people, admittedly had seriously and earnestly maintained that religion was a cause of division, that religious wars had been the fiercest, and that even now there was a disunion of Christian people. Yet the approach to the church as a means of saving breakdown should be simpler; and the words of St. Paul should be remembered, that "we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread," and "Where the Spirit o* the Lord is there is liberty." These were two approaches that might no"be popular to the man in the street. Mr Bernard Shaw, speaking of controversial subjects in radio programmes, had said that all religious services were controversial- Yet the highest truths of religion, l'ke the beauty of a sunset, the music of Mozart, or a great painting, were not controversial, Mr Newell maintainedThe voice of God was a challenge: transcended human affairs. The church offered the only hope of unity, and this hope was above and independent of man's need for unity. The congregation of the church exemplified the principles of unity. It was a microcosm in which were joined rich and poor, wise and foolish, uncomfortable enthusiasms and laziness, an experiment in human unity. Netn:n? in the world was more worth wr.ne than to bring in this spirit of uni-.y-Aspects of Religion The prcsonl age had beer: cal.cd irreligious; yet every age was religious in that it "had certain opinion* concerning the ultimate thmsi pertaining to life and death. There always had been a religion of the day. cnosen to /it the times. In the middlewhen life, without the support o: j-ci-ence, was insecure, and fatalism vaj the prevailing belief, the stern cruel aspect of religion was stressesEven in later times the slave _traae was thought to be consonant with religion and the first and most famous English slave trader's ship was named the Jesus. In modern times luxury, education, and politeness had determined the aspect of religion chosen. Kindness v-' 3l stressed. God was a grandad in tne 'seventies; hell could not be so severe, and there were growing sects said there was no sorrow, denyir.« Calvary and Gethsemane. _ Concluding, Mr Newell showed that the true concept of the catholic church was one that was nut subscrvicsu to such passing phase:-, it wa? a -P;: independent of time and outside i' ie centuries.